


Derry: The Missing Interlude

by HelloJello



Category: IT - Stephen King, Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: A little bit of Mileven but not much, Angst with a Happy Ending (sorta), Definitely a mess, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Gay, Light Angst, M/M, No Smut, Some gore (you can thank Pennywise for that), Some language (I swear a lot), Sorry Not Sorry, byler, elmax - Freeform, henclair, please enjoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-11-10 16:34:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20854874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelloJello/pseuds/HelloJello
Summary: In four chapters, a prologue, and an epilogue, I will bring together most of the gay couples of Stranger Things. Why? Because I'm very bored and very gay. Do I regret this? Possibly. Will that stop me? Hell no!





	1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

"Aaargh!"

Will jumps at the sound of a textbook slamming shut. He looks up to the other side of the room where his adopted sister sits with the offensive tome in front of her. She has her eyebrows knit together in frustration, and the paper in her hands is severely crumpled.

"Math?" Will guesses from his spot at the kitchen table.

"Algebra," Eleven frowns, snapping her pencil in half. She looks startled enough to suggest that the wooden homicide was completely by accident, a mere casualty of her intense frustration. The girl lets out a sigh, and Will isn't sure if she's about to start launching things around the room or if she might just burst into tears.

_Neither_, he realizes as she flops over, trading her cross-legged sitting position to lay flat on her back against the carpeted living room floor, a look of sorrowful surrender etched on her face. Will sets down his own homework and pushes back his chair to make his way over to the girl. He may not be the brightest kid in class-- between missing so much school being stuck in the Upside Down and being possessed by the Mind Flayer (not to mention he's much more of an artist than an arithmetic guy anyway)-- but algebra is something he can handle.

It's been a whole three months since Joyce Byers decided to uproot their lives in Hawkins, Indiana in favor of the little town in Maine. To be fair, this had come only after three consecutive years of dealing with interdimensional beings, and losing two men that she cared deeply about to the various creatures that had attacked. She'd desperately needed a fresh start. They all had, really, and so Joyce had called up Bob's parents, who were still trying to sell their old house, to see if they could work out a deal together. It was the same place Bob had wanted them to move together to, back before the demodogs had gotten him. Even if none of them had been entirely happy to leave Hawkins, they did all have to admit: a fresh start was kind of nice.

Except that the coming school year had prompted Joyce to enroll both Will _and_ Eleven in the nearby high school. That had translated into a full summer of studying hard to get caught up with the rest of the kids their age. By the time fall had arrived, Will had managed to test high enough to move into his sophomore year of high school. Eleven, meanwhile, had been placed among the freshman. She did _not_ enjoy it. Still, at least Will knows enough that he can help her out with her schoolwork as needed, which is actually quite frequently. Especially when it comes to math.

"I can help you with this," Will offers, carefully smoothing out the sheet of math homework.

"Hate it," Eleven mumbles, still sprawled out across the floor.

"Everybody does," Will promises.

"No," Eleven argues, shaking her head. "Not that."

Will glances at her, his confusion evident in his face. "Then what do y--"

"School," Eleven spits, her hand curling into a fist. "The bad teachers. The bad students. Bad _people_."

Will stares at her, and for the first time he notices a change in the girl. A change he recognizes, and relates to. "Do they hurt you?" he asks.

Eleven hesitates, and Will knows she's contemplating whether or not to tell the truth. In time, though, she nods.

Apparently the freshman in their new town acted no better towards strangers than the sophomores did. The only difference was that Eleven had to take the beating from fellow freshman as well as from the upperclassmen, who bullied her entire grade level just for existing as freshmen.

And she still didn't have her telekinesis to protect her anymore.

Needless to say, school was not going well for Will's little sister. He hated that. He hated how badly the kids must be treating her, and he hated that there was nothing he could do to make things better. He'd promised Mike he'd look out for her, but how was he supposed to stop kids from bullying her when he couldn't even stop kids from bullying himself?

"They're all a bunch of mouthbreathers," Eleven decides.

Will nods. "They're just scared," he tells her.

"Scared?" Eleven questions, her brows raised in suspicion.

"Scared," Will confirms. "People don't like it when things change, and they don't like what they can't understand."

Eleven frowns. "Why can't they understand us?" she asks.

"Because we're not like them," Will says. "We're stronger. We're survivors."

Eleven manages a small smile before pushing herself to her feet. Without another word, she starts walking to the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Will calls.

"Bathroom," Eleven answers. She wants to be alone with her thoughts for a minute.

* * * * * * *

Max has complained about school so many times. So has Mike, and Dustin and Lucas; the whole party. Eleven remembers sneaking in for Will's death assembly, the year she first met the original party. She remembers snapping the arm of the boy who made fun of Will, and who tried to make Mike jump off a cliff. Even with all this evidence though, Eleven had had no clue what to expect when entering into high school.

She hates it.

She understands the complaints now. She doesn't know whether to lock herself inside her room forever or to go back to school just to kick some ass, but for now she has to settle with shutting herself inside the bathroom. She sits on the sink, leaning her head against the mirror, thinking about the horrible things that happen. How the girls all whisper about her, and call her names, and shove her into things. How the boys all stare at her, and make comments that, while she doesn't always know exactly what they mean, she can easily guess based on their tone and their grabby hands and their obscene gestures.

She wishes she had her powers back, just for a minute. Just long enough to make sure no one ever messes with her or Will ever again. As more days go by, the likelihood of regaining her abilities seems less and less.

Eleven sighs and runs a hand across her face. It comes back soaked, and she suddenly realizes that she's been crying, and is still crying. She hates high school.

She moves to push herself off the sink, when suddenly a small, "_Jane!_" is whispered nearby and, for half a second, it sounds enough like Max that Eleven has to wonder if she's willed her powers back into her body. She hasn't though, and she knows this because she's not walking on water surrounded by a dark nothingness. She's still in the bathroom of her new house in Maine, and Max is nowhere in sight.

She shrugs it off, hopping to the floor and moving to open the bathroom door.

"_Jaaaaaaaaaane!_" the voice calls again. It isn't Max, although there is something oddly familiar about it.

"_Jane!_" a voice-- a different voice-- calls from the same direction.

Eleven stops, heart pounding, her hand resting on the door handle. She turns her gaze back to the sink.

"_Janie!_" a new voice adds to the chorus.

"_Jane!_" comes another.

Eleven twists the knob down, ready to leave. The handle sticks; the door is locked.

"_Jane!_" a fifth voice cries out, louder than the others.

"_Jane!_" another one shrieks out at the same heightened volume.

"_Jane!_"

"_Janie Jane!_"

"_Jane!_"

"_Jane!_"

"_Jaaaaaane!_"

Eleven tugs on the door, wriggling the handle so viciously she's surprised it doesn't break off in her hands. She half wishes it would. Maybe then the damn door would open.

"_Janie!_" the voices demand.

"_Jane!_"

"_Jane!_"

"_Jane Hopper!_" a new voice screams as she begins to kick at the door.

Eleven freezes.

"_Jane Hopper!_" it tries again.

"_Jane!_"

"_Janie!_"

"_Jane Hopper!_"

"_Jane Hopper!_"

"_Janie!_"

"_Jane Hopper!_"

"_Jane!_"

"_Jane Hopper! Jane Hopper!_"

"_Jane Hopper!_"

"_Jane Brenner!_" a voice suddenly yells, and Eleven's blood runs cold.

She may have called him Papa, but Dr. Brenner was never her father, and hearing his surname used as her own makes her sick, and it makes her angry, and it sends a chill down her spine and it makes her… scared.

"_Eleven!_" the voices suddenly screech.

"_Eleven!_"

"_El!_"

"_EL!_"

The voices get even louder now, their roaring filling the entirety of the small bathroom. They're too many to count but they're all coming from the same place, and they all take up the chant: "_EL! EL! EL! EL!_" and soon enough, Eleven realizes that they are in fact all coming from the sink. Well the drain, to be more specific, but still.

Slowly, step by step, Eleven makes her way back over to it. The voices all hush as she looks up into the mirror. Nothing seems to be out of place. It's still just Eleven, alone in the bathroom. She turns to leave again, to try the seemingly locked door.

"_Don't worry, Jane_," the first familiar voice calls. "_You won't be alone for long_."

"_No one'salone down here_," a second voice promises.

"_We're all a family_," a third voice says.

"_Family_," another one echoes.

"_And you're our newest member_," they all demand.

Eleven wrenches the door open this time, and she slams it shut behind her as she hurries back to the living room where Will is waiting for her.

"Is everything okay?" he asks her as she flops down beside him on the floor. "You look, uh, not well."

"I'm fine," Eleven lies, pushing aside thoughts of the voices in the drain. She's sure she's just sleep deprived, or else going insane. Shaking her head, she pokes the sheet of math paper. "I want to get this over with. Will you help?"

Will nods. "Yeah," he says.

Eleven smiles, replacing the terrors of the past few minutes by thinking of times when it wasn't just her and Will at the terrifying house in Maine. She thinks of days spent in Mike's basement, when the whole party was there. Some days they'd play _Dungeons and Dragons_ or else games like _Mario Bros_. and _Tetris_ on Dustin's Nintendo. Other times the boys would load up on snacks and they'd marathon movies. Lucas and Dustin would always fight Mike for the sofa, while Eleven and Max always shared the loveseat. Mike usually lost, and ended up sitting on the floor with Will. He'd occasionally glance over at Eleven during the movies, and Eleven would smile at him from where she lay tangled up with Max across the room. Those were good days spent with good people. Those were days spent at home.

Eleven hates the new house. She misses her friends, and she hates that she can't see the party or stay the night with Max or ride around on the back of Mike's bike. She hates everything about this "fresh start." She hates the creepy bathroom sink and it's weird, creepy voices that somehow know her by name. She hates her new school with all the mean, hateful people.

And she especially hates her new town: the town of Derry.


	2. Chapter One: An Imperfect Reunion

"YES!" the party collectively cheers as Mike shows off the victorious roll of twenty-three. 

"The death slaad reaches out a webbed hand towards your flesh, but it drops to the ground just in front of you, as dead as the rest of it," Will narrates for the cheering boys. "The party makes their way out of the cave, and back to the village where the mayor bestows upon them all the riches and fineries that were promised." 

Max rolls her eyes, watching with a look of amusement as Lucas hugs Dustin so hard he lifts him off the ground. They both clap Mike on the back, who basks in the glory of having rolled for the final, fatal hit. Max catches Eleven's eye and gives her a wink. Eleven sends a sweet smile back her way. 

"Join another party yet, Will?" Max asks the young dungeon master. 

A look of pain crosses his face, and for a moment Max regrets asking, but it's gone so quickly-- replaced with a grin-- that she has to wonder if she only imagined it. Will shakes his head in response. "Nah. There aren't any parties worth joining." 

"Don't worry about it too much," Mike suggests, his voice soft enough that Max thinks he saw the expression pass across Will's face. "Once everyone gets to know you, they'll all be begging you to join their party. You'll have to be fending them all off with your staff." 

"Yeah," Lucas agrees. "And you have us until then." 

"And even after," Mike promises. 

"We'll come out every weekend if we have to," Dustin adds. 

Will manages another smile for the group. "That means a lot to me," he says. 

Max sidles over to where Eleven stands, watching. "Same goes for you," she tells her, entwining her hand with the ex-telekinetic's. Eleven leans her head against Max's shoulder. 

"Miss you," the girl sighs, sounding so weary that Max whips her head to the side to stare at her. 

"Is everything okay?" Max asks her. 

Eleven nods, but first she hesitates long enough that Max knows she's lying. The redhead opens her mouth to prompt her into a confession, but a hand on her shoulder stops her just in time. 

"Hey," Lucas greets her. 

"Hey?" Max responds, raising a brow at the boy. 

"We're all heading to the arcade," Lucas explains. "Are you two coming with us?" 

Max looks to Eleven. "I think I'd like to go," the girl decides with a shrug. 

"Sure," Max says, turning back to face Lucas. "Want me to drive?" 

"Heh," Lucas lets out a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his neck with one hand. "I, uh, really hope you're joking." 

"Of course I'm joking," Max assures him, rolling her eyes at him. 

"Oh," Lucas says. "Okay." He lingers for a moment, waiting for Max to add more. She doesn't, and so he gives a short wave before shuffling back across the room, where the boys all stand. 

Eleven watches him go and then turns to Max with a frown. "What was that?" she wonders. 

"Oh, we broke up," Max says, her voice nonchalant and uncaring. Eleven's eyes widen. 

"For real this time?" she presses. 

"Yeah," Max shrugs. "He and I are just better as friends. Besides, I think there's, y'know, someone else." 

"For you or for him?" Eleven whispers, her voice low and conspiratorial. 

Max has to smile. "Maybe both," she admits. "It's kinda hard to tell." 

"El?" Mike asks, coming over to them. "Want to ride with me over to the arcade?" 

Eleven nods her head, leaving Max's side to go take Mike's hand in her own. "Yes." 

Max tries to fend off her annoyance. It's completely unwarranted, she knows. And yet, she can't help but feel a burning fireball of frustration deep in the pit of her stomach every time Mike interrupts one of these little moments between her and Eleven. It's not that he's still possessive over her or whatever, so there's no reason for her to feel that "I miss her too" curl of… well, of jealousy. Max is big enough to admit it, even if only to herself: she's jealous of Mike. Big deal.

Mike looks over his shoulder as he leads Eleven outside. "We'll see you there," he calls to Max. 

Max waves as the two head outside, masking her jealousy with a polite smile.

She'd left her skateboard in the garage, so she turns to head that way. She'll be behind everyone by a few minutes, but she doesn't mind. It's not as though she's never ridden her skateboard alone before, and she has an idea of where the arcade is at. She remembers seeing it on the way into town. 

The garage door creaks as she pushes it open just wide enough to slip into the room. It's not very big, with shelves lining either side of it and a large pool table in the center that she's sure would get much more use if it was a flat-topped table that Will could use to get Eleven more interested in D&D with. The door swings shut behind her, with much more force than seems possible with gravity alone. She shivers at the newly darkened room, but hurries over to where she'd set her board down earlier. 

"What?" she mutters to herself, looking around wildly as her frustration mounts. "Where is it?" She knows it was here, she made sure to prop it up between the shelf and the broom. The broom is still right there. Where'd her skateboard go? 

"Looking for this?" a voice hisses from the shadows. 

Max leaps back, reaching her hand behind her for anything she can use as a weapon. Her fingers close on air as the figure in the dark steps into the light. They hold her skateboard, but that's not why Max suddenly feels such terror. She regards the figure with alarm, and her heart is now pounding just about out of her chest. 

"B-Billy?" she gasps. 

"Miss me?" he jeers. "Look at us, getting an imperfect family reunion."

"How is this even possible?" Max asks, tears filling her eyes. 

"I could ask you the same thing," he snarls. 

Confusion overtakes her, but only for a moment. It's hard not to be focused on fear when your dead, abusive step-brother is suddenly standing in front of you. "What are you talking about?" she demands. 

"You told that girl there was _ someone else _ ," Billy reminds her, taking another step towards her. "You said it was that same _ someone else _who convinced you to break things off with Lucas Sinclair." 

"Why does that matter?" Max questions, taking a step back. Her heart is thundering now, hard enough that she wonders if it's about to burst. 

_ "You know exactly why that matters!" _

Billy lunges, arms stretched out, hands grasping for her throat. Max instinctively grabs the broom and swings it in front of her all in one fluid motion. It cracks into the side of her brother's head, making him drop her board and crumple to the ground beside it. Max snatches up the skateboard and bolts out of the garage, leaving Billy on the floor of the Byers' new house. 

Billy watches her leave, a vicious grin spread wide across his face. 

* * * * * * * 

"Go, go, go, go!" Lucas hears Dustin chant, watching out of the corner of his eye as the boy literally bounces on the balls of his feet. Dustin and the others can only watch as Lucas' hands fly around the controls, sending his virtual knight to attack the large, fire breathing red dragon that guards a kingdom's worth of gold in a digital fantasy land. "C'mon, you've got this. Come on! Go!" 

"He's not gonna make it," Mike says, shaking his head at his friend as Lucas narrowly avoids catching a fireball to the face. 

"He's gonna make it!" Dustin argues. Lucas grins at the confidence his friend seems to have in him and his gaming abilities. 

"No he's not!" 

"Yes he is!" 

"No, he's not, look at him he's about to--" 

"Why can't you have more faith in our friend?" 

"I have faith, I just also have logic!" 

"No, what you have is bullshit!" 

"_ You _have bullshit!"

"No!" Lucas groans, realizing his mistake when the knight darts forward into the flames instead of ducking under them. A giant "GAME OVER" fills the screen. 

"Good try," Will tells him.

"Yeah, it was a really close one," Dustin adds, patting him on the back. "And I'm sure you would have gotten it if _ someone-- _" here he aims a glare at Mike-- "hadn't distracted you!" 

"What?" Mike scoffs. "I didn't distract him! That was you!" 

"ANYWAY," Dustin shouts over Mike's protests, turning to face Lucas again. "It was a really good game."

Lucas looks at him and nods. "Yeah, I guess it was." He smiles at the boy, earning a quick grin back. Dustin is currently not wearing his fake teeth, which Lucas actually prefers for him. He has a good natural smile. Though he understands why Dustin wears them as often as he does-- cleidocranial dysplasia is always an instant target for bullying. He hates that for him, and he wishes he was stronger so he could fight off all the assholes who mess with him about it.

Speaking of messing with people, Lucas is surprised he hasn't heard a snarky comment from Max about him losing the game. A quick glance around shows him the reason for her uncharacteristic silence: she's not with the party. 

Lucas frowns. "Did Max ever show?" he asks, looking at Eleven. 

Eleven looks surprised. She casts a quick look around as well before returning her gaze to Lucas. "I thought she had--" 

"I'm sure she's alright," Dustin assures him, resting an arm across his shoulders. "She's tough; she can take care of herself." 

"Yeah, I know," Lucas says. "I just… I think I'm going to ride down the block. Keep an eye out for her, y'know. We've never been here before, and I don't want her to get lost." 

"She's probably right around the corner, looking for the plaza," Will adds. 

"Yeah, I'll go with you," Dustin offers, stuffing coins back into his pockets. 

"No," Lucas shakes his head. "Stay here with the party. I'm sure I won't be gone long. I'll just go get her and we'll be right back." 

Before anyone else can argue with him, Lucas hurries out the doors of the arcade and hops on his bike. He's sure his friends are right. Max is tough, and a small town like this is certainly no threat to her. He's sure he'll find her, and she'll tease him for being so paranoid and she'll laugh at him, and then they'll head back into the arcade. He's sure she's fine. 

At least, he hopes. 

* * * * * * *

Dustin sighs as Lucas hurries out the arcade doors. He doesn't understand what's going on with him. Max dumped him; it's over between the two. Why does Lucas keep acting like he's responsible for her? 

"We haven't played _ Street Fighter _ yet," Will suggests. "According to this kid in my class, it's the best game in the arcade." 

"Actually, I was thinking Eleven and I should talk," Mike says. "Is there somewhere more private we can go? Somewhere close by, I mean." 

"There's a park down the block," Will tells him. 

"Ax Man's Park," Eleven nods. 

"I'm sorry, _ what _?" Dustin asks, not quite sure he's heard her correctly. 

"There's a giant Paul Bunyan statue there," Will clarifies. "It's pretty much the park's main feature, so El and I call it Ax Man's Park." 

"Oh," Dustin says, his disappointment audible. "That's not as cool as I thought it would be." 

Mike shrugs. "Works for me. C'mon El." 

They both head out, hand in hand. Dustin doesn't miss the longing, disappointed look that passes Will's features. 

"She'll be alright," Dustin reassures him. 

"Uh, what?" Will asks. 

"Eleven," Dustin answers. "I'm sure it's weird for you, with Mike being back. You've been the one taking care of her for the past five months. But she'll be alright. Mike won't let anything happen to her. That's what you're worried about, right?" 

"Oh, yeah, right," Will rushes out in a way that leaves Dustin sure that that was entirely _ not _what he was worried about. Will clears his throat. "So, how are you and Suzie?" 

Dustin shrugs. "She and I are okay. I think. We haven't really spoken in awhile." 

"Oh." 

Will looks down at his toes, probably embarrassed for asking about Dustin's ex. He must not have remembered last week when Dustin told him about their breakup over the phone. Not that he holds it against him. Will has been through a lot since moving. Apparently Derry's residents don't like new kids, and they don't like gay kids, and they especially don't like gay new kids. Dustin knows it must be tough for him. 

"So--" 

"We've got a problem!" Max yelps, bursting through the doors of the arcade. She looks like she's in bad shape: her face is as red as her hair, her chest is heaving with the effort of rapidly sucking in breaths, and her whole body is shaking. 

"What's going on?" Will asks. 

Max frowns, taking in the two solitary boys. "Where's Eleven?" she demands. "And where's Lucas, and Mike?" 

"Mike and El left to go hang out in a park for a bit," Will explains. 

"Yeah, and Lucas went to go look for you," Dustin adds. "You didn't see him on your way in?" 

"Shit!" Max curses. "We must have just missed each other." 

"What's going on?" Will asks again. 

"Something terrible," Max says, and her serious tone sends shivers racing down Dustin's spine. "We have to find the others, quickly." 

"Would you stop being so melodramatic and just tell us what the hell's going on?" Dustin demands. 

Max turns to him, a look of pure fear on her face. 

"What's going on," she says, "is that we're all in serious danger." 

* * * * * * *

Lucas peddles hard, looking over his shoulder and up and down streets. He's almost halfway back to Will's house, and he still hasn't seen any sign of Max. He knows deep down that she's okay, but he's also starting to worry. 

He cups his hands over his mouth, steering the bike with his knees. "MAX! MAX! MAAAAAAAX!" 

No response. 

"MAXINE!" he tries again. If she's hiding from him for some reason then she'll at least come out when she hears her full name. She hates it when he calls her Maxine, and he knows she won't be able to resist yelling at him for it, no matter what game she's trying to play with him. "MAXINE!" 

He pumps his legs harder and faster, trying desperately to catch up to wherever it is she's gone. He feels bad. She's been so distracted ever since they broke up, and he thinks it must be his fault. Not that he's the one who broke things off. She definitely dumped him, and she'd have his head if she ever even thought that Lucas was trying to say it was the other way around. Still, he knows why she broke things off with him, and he knows that part of the reason at least is that they both knew their relationship was coming to an end. It would have had to, because otherwise Lucas would never have a chance with… anyone else. 

"WHOA!" 

Lucas jerks his body instinctively to avoid the car that is barreling through its stop sign, and coming right for him. He crashes to the ground, his bike skittering several feet ahead as he lays crumpled in the street, the car flying right past him. It sends a shower of pebbles, dirt, and loose asphalt over him as it thunders by. Only after it's passed completely by does it slam on its brakes. 

"What the hell!" Lucas shouts, dusting himself off. The car throws itself into reverse, engine revving as it races back towards him. It doesn't slow down as it approaches him for the second time. 

Lucas scrambles out of the road as the weight of the car crushes his bike as easily as cracking an eggshell. 

"Shouldn't be standing in the middle of the road," a voice chastises him from behind. "Bad things happen to boys who don't look both ways." 

Lucas turns, taking in the owner of the voice standing before him. "Uh." He's unsure how exactly to respond. "Yeah, I-I'll be more careful from now on." 

"You'll look both ways?" the stranger prompts. 

"Yeah," Lucas promises. "I'll look both ways." 

"He'll look both ways," the stranger giggles. "But will he swing?" The stranger regards him. "I think he will." 

Lucas' confusion creeps across his face, and his heart rate increases even as his adrenaline starts to fade. "Uh, I--" 

"You'll swing, though you might be too scared," the stranger says, looking him in the eyes. "Oh, you'd hate for someone to guess which way you _ want _to swing, who you want to swing for. Am I right?" 

Lucas takes a step back, away from the crazy stranger. "I don't know what you're talking about." 

"Not yet you don't," the stranger muses. "But not to worry. You will soon. I can promise you that much, Lucas." 

Lucas recoils at the sound of his name. 

_ Who is this clown? _he wonders, terrified. 

As though reading his thoughts, the clown smiles back. "I suppose, me knowing your name, you'd want to know mine," he guesses.

Lucas does not respond. 

"Well, my name," the clown continues with a bow, "is Pennywise." Here he adds in a menacing smile. "And I can't wait to get to know you." 

Lucas can't help but to shiver. 


	3. Chapter Two: Change in the Weather

"Billy?" Will repeats, incredulous. 

"How is that even possible?" Dustin demands. 

All Max can do is shrug, looking exasperated and helpless, which is slightly maddening if you ask Will. 

"You mean Billy is out there right now, and the only thing standing between him and a powerless El is Mike?" Will clarifies, sounding as desperate and scared as he feels. 

"I don't think he's going after El," Max confides. "He's different now. He's not the Mind Flayer anymore." 

"Yeah, but he's still a dick," Dustin complains. "Last time we saw him before the whole Mind Flayer incident was when he tried to kill Lucas. And Steve!" 

"Dustin is right!" Will says. "Billy is dangerous. If he's here, then we have to warn everyone." 

"How are we going to do that if we don't even know where everybody is?" Max points out. 

"I know where Mike is," Will reminds her. 

"And I know which direction Lucas went," Dustin adds. 

"Okay," Max sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. She looks so torn, Will can't help but feel sorry for her, even though he has no clue what her internal debate is about. After a minute she seems to come to a decision. "Will, head to the park and find Mike and Eleven. Dustin and I will find Lucas, and we'll all meet up back at your house--" 

"Where we'll finish Billy once and for all," Dustin interrupts. 

"Jesus!" Max huffs. "No! We'll detain him or whatever, but we don't need to kill him!" 

Dustin puts his hands up in surrender. "It was just a thought," he says. "It's not like he doesn't deserve it after attacking Lucas, and trying to feed El to the Mind Flayer." 

_ "Dustin!" _ Max snaps, exasperated. "We have to _ hurry. _" 

"Right, yup," Dustin agrees, starting for the doors. "Let's go." 

Will and Max follow close on his heels, Will's heart pounding nearly out of his throat. He'd hate for something to happen to Eleven. After the months they've spent living together, separated from the rest of the party, bonding over their shared losses, he'd be devastated if anything were to happen to her. 

_ And Mike, _ his inner voice chimes in, making his thundering heart drop. _ Oh, god. _ If anything happened to Mike… _ No. _ He won't let his thoughts go there. He'll get to the park before anybody else-- before any _ thing _else-- can hurt him. He'll make it. He has to. 

He yanks his bike out of the bike rack and hops on, peddling right out of the parking lot and into traffic. Several cars hit their brakes, and many more blare their horns at him, but he doesn't care. The safety of his friends, and possibly their very lives, depends on how quickly he can get to them right now. A part of him wishes he could somehow convey this to the other drivers, but a larger part of him doesn't care enough to stop or even give an apologetic wave. 

God he hopes he can get there on time. _ I will, _ he tells himself. _ Everything will be okay. _

He slams on the brakes, leaping off the bike before it can even come to a complete stop. He stumbles forward a couple steps, desperately searching all throughout the park with a glance. It seems empty from where he stands now, but surely that's only because he just arrived. Will closes his eyes in an attempt to clear his head. 

_ Breathe, _he commands himself, taking in a deep breath. He lets it out slowly, and he opens his eyes. 

"No!" he screams, whipping his head around. "NO!" 

There's been an extreme change in the weather, with the air suddenly heavy and cold, and the wind is ripping through the thin sweater he has on over his t-shirt. Dark clouds coat every inch of the sky, except for where it splits apart in the wake of red lightning. Slime covers much of the ground, and the entire place smells like death. 

Somehow, someway, even way out here in Derry, Maine, Will is back in the Upside Down. 

  


* * * * * * *

  


"Mike?" Eleven asks, jumping lightly from the back of her boyfriend's bike. "Why are we here?" 

Mike darts forward, pressing his lips against hers. He pulls back after a few seconds, giving her a shy smile. "I love you," he tells her. 

"I love you too?" Eleven responds, her face masked in confusion. 

"No, no," Mike sighs, beginning to pace. "I love _ you. _" 

"Yeah," Eleven says, her expression suggesting she thinks he might have gone crazy. "I know. I love _ you, _too." 

_ She doesn't understand, _Mike inwardly groans, which he knows isn't fair. How could she? How could she have any idea in the world where he's coming from with all this? He isn't really sure of himself either. 

"I-I just need you to know that," he tells her. 

Eleven frowns, her face the picture of innocence. "Is everything okay?" she wants to know. 

"Yes," Mike nods. "I guess I just miss you." 

Eleven smiles. "I miss you too." 

They stand in silence for a moment, and Mike has to wonder what she's thinking. Has she guessed the questions he's been having? Would she hate him if she knew? Would she think he's disgusting and wrong? 

"How is home?" she asks, breaking the silence. 

"It's good," he assures her. "It's been weird since you left. Like something big is missing, like a huge chunk of what makes Hawkins home is just… gone." 

Eleven nods, turning her head so that Mike can't see her face anymore. "It's bad here, too," she confesses, and she sounds so heartbroken that Mike wants to cry. 

"What's going on?" he presses. 

But Eleven shakes her head. "I, uh, I think I need to use the bathroom," she says, and Mike is pretty sure she's lying, but he only nods his understanding. 

"Okay," he tells her, and she turns to flash him a watery smile. Tears are running down her face, and it hurts Mike to see. He watches her go, rushing for the brick structure that lays in the middle of the park, near the stage erected in the center. He remembers back when they first met, when he and the party had been bullied constantly. His biggest tormentor had tried to get him to jump from the ravine, threatening to hurt Dustin if he didn't. He'd been about to do it, when Eleven had arrived just in time to catch him and bring him to safety. She'd snapped his bully's arm, too, for good measure. Mike and Dustin have been left alone ever since. 

It hurts him to know that Eleven is the reason no one messes with them anymore, and now that she's the one dealing with assholes like that there's nothing Mike can do to help. He feels helpless, and worthless. He doesn't deserve her. 

Mike really wants to tell her what he's thinking. She deserves to know. But he isn't totally sure himself, and she really doesn't deserve to be lied to if it turns out that Mike is wrong about himself. He sighs, shaking his head at himself. When did everything get to be so complicated? 

He sits down in the grass, tugging at patches here and there. He glances down at his watch and frowns. Eleven's been gone for awhile. He knows she was upset and trying to calm down, but he also wonders if he should check on her. He wants to give her some privacy, but in the end his concern wins out and he gets up to go check on her. 

It's weird how abandoned the park seems. Mike always thought that parks would be overflowing on Saturday afternoons, but this one is dead. He stops outside the door and takes a deep breath for confidence. 

"Hello?" he calls out as he knocks. 

No response. 

"Eleven?" he tries again. "Are you okay in there?" He waits, giving her time to collect herself if she needs to. He waits a few minutes, but never gets a response. "El," he says, knocking again. 

The door swings open at his touch, startling him. He hadn't used _ that _much force. But he sticks his head in, allowing a second for his eyes to adjust to the surprisingly dark room. 

"El?" he quietly calls, not seeing her anywhere. "Where are you?" 

She still won't answer, so he takes his first step inside a girl's bathroom. Nothing horrible happens-- nobody comes to yell at him or anything. He takes another step, and another, and the door shuts behind him, encasing him in the dark room. A cockroach skitters across the floor near his feet, and he jumps back slightly. 

"Eleven!" he whispers, knocking softly against the first bathroom stall. 

Nothing. 

He continues on, his heart pounding as every cell in his body screams at him to get out of there, and not just because he's a boy in a girl's bathroom. Something feels off about the place, and he desperately wants to get Eleven and _ get the hell out of there. _Which is why it would be great if she'd respond to him at all, which she's not. And that's not like her, and so Mike refuses to leave this creepy place until he finds her. 

A thud sounds from the stall at the end, the big one reserved mostly for people with wheelchairs. Mike doesn't think Eleven would use that one, but then again he doesn't remember telling her the rule for that specific stall, so it is possible she's in there. Mike takes in another deep breath. 

_ Okay, _ he thinks. _ Here we go. _

And he throws open the door, turning the corner to look. When his eyes land on what's hidden inside, Mike isn't sure whether he's going to vomit or scream, but he knows his face has gone pale and that he wants to do both. 

The first thing he notices is the blood. It's everywhere, pooling on the floor and smudged on the walls. Specks of it are even dripping from the ceiling. Mike suddenly realizes why the bathroom has such a strong coppery smell to it. 

"This isn't happening," he mutters to himself, backing away from the sight. "This isn't real, this can't be real. This isn't happening!" He trips over himself, sinking to the floor in a pile of tears and shaky sobs. He knows it can't possibly be his fault, and yet he still feels the weight of guilt holding him down. He lets out the scream that's been building in his throat, hoping to forget the horror in front of him, though he knows it won't happen. He won't forget this for the rest of his life. 

He'll never forget seeing the mangled corpse of the person he loves, left to rot in this dirty bathroom stall.

  


* * * * * * *

  


"Lucas?" Dustin pants into his radio as he and Max fly down the road on their bikes. "This is Dustin. We have a code red! Do you copy? I repeat, we have a code red! Do you copy?" 

"Do you honestly think he'd have his radio on right now?" Max questions. 

"He's out looking for you," Dustin reminds her. "If he's smart-- and he is-- then he'll have kept his radio on in case we found you before he did." 

Max opens her mouth to respond, probably with some kind of argument, but hits her brakes instead. 

"Son of a bitch!" Dustin curses, nearly toppling over as he makes a sharp U-turn to peddle back over to her. "What the hell, Max?" 

"He's over there!" Max says, pointing down a side street. "See? He's the one talking to that..._ clown?" _

Dustin frowns. Lucas had seemed extremely worried about Max when he'd left. Why was he over there talking to a clown? It didn't make any sense. 

"Shit!" Max yells, watching as the clown suddenly lashes out, gripping Lucas' arm. 

"Lucas!" Dustin screams, scrambling forward. 

"Dustin, wait!" Max calls, sounding terrified. "Let's be smart about this!" 

"Let him go!" Dustin roars, ignoring Max's advice. He launches himself at the clown, bringing it and Lucas down along with him. 

The clown fixes him with a malicious grin, blood gushing out from the corners of its mouth. Dustin can only watch as it opens its mouth wider and wider, unhinging its jaw like some massive anaconda, with several rows of teeth lining the inside of its throat. And something else-- three somethings, actually-- more or less where a uvula should be. Somethings that are bright, and shiny, and swirling around and around each other. It's like looking at the beginnings of the universe, and it's terrifyingly haunting and it's-- 

_ "Get up!" _Max shrieks in his ear, gripping him roughly by the arm and hauling him to his feet. Lucas is standing next to her, a wild look of fear in his eyes. 

Dustin obeys, leaping to his feet and bolting for his bike. Without a word, Lucas hops on behind him while Max is already skating down the road for Will's house. As Dustin peddles away, Lucas turns to send a rock sailing out of his slingshot. It hits the monster clown directly between the eyes. 

"Shit!" Dustin cries, and it feels like that's the only word he'll ever be able to say ever again. 

"What was that thing?" Lucas wonders, shaking as he holds on tight to Dustin from behind, his stomach and chest pressed up against Dustin's back. In any other less terrifying situation Dustin might even smile at the other boy's closeness. 

As it were, they've only just managed to escape certain death, and who knows for how long? So Dustin sticks with his new mantra:

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" 

After the longest and somehow shortest ride of Dustin's life, they pull up to the Byers' house in Maine. Lucas slides off first, his face still pale from fear. Dustin parks his bike before turning to face Max. 

"How do you want to handle this?" Dustin asks her. 

"Handle what?" Lucas demands. 

"Apparently Billy's back, and he's inside there," Dustin explains. 

"At least, he was when I left for the arcade," Max adds. 

"Great," Lucas grumbles. "So we've left one monster behind and traded it in for another." 

"Hey man," Dustin says, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'd take Billy Hargrove over some freakish clown monster any day, although I'd rather face him with the others. So should we wait for them, or would you rather take him now?" 

"Oh fuck," Max whispers, her face paling. _ "The others!" _

Dustin frowns. "What about them?" 

"What if the clown goes after them?" Max points out. 

"Oh shit!" Dustin exclaims. 

Once upon a time, he never would have worried. They had Eleven, so he would have assumed that nothing could touch them. Now that she's lost her powers, though, she's just as vulnerable as any of them. If the clown decides to go after them-- 

"They're screwed," Lucas groans. 

And out of range of the walkies, Dustin is pretty sure. Which means the only way to warn them is to go back and face that clown again. 

Dustin shivers. 

"One problem at a time," Lucas says, raising his slingshot as he approaches the Byers' front door. 

Max nods. "We'll deal with him first." 

"Oh, shit!" Dustin groans, not wanting to go through with this. 

But he follows behind anyway, ready to face off with Billy Hargrove. 

  


* * * * * * *

  


Will is screaming, and to be frank he really doesn't know if he can stop anytime soon. This is his worst nightmare come to pass. _ He is back in the Upside Down. _He thought this was over! He thought his mom had managed to shut the gate, permanently. He thought the monster was gone. He thought he was finally safe! 

_ This isn't happening, _ he thinks, shivering in the cold as he stands there with his eyes shut tight. _ This can't be happening! _

"NO!" he screams, his eyes flying open as he feels something grip his shoulder. 

It's gone: the cold, the clouds, the red lightning...everything. He's standing in the park, the sun beaming down from above. He's okay. Everything is okay. 

He looks to see who snapped him out of it, but no one is near him. The park is still empty, save for a couple moseying around near the far edge of the park, a few hundred yards away. Will tries to shrug it off, but he can't shrug off the feeling that he's being watched. He turns to pick up his bike, thinking he'll ride through the park to search for Mike, but stops short when he sees Jonathan leaning over one of the nearby benches. His chest rises and falls rapidly in tune to his ragged breathing. He doesn't seem to be doing well.

"J-Jonathan?" he calls, slowly approaching his brother. "Is everything okay?" 

"No," Jonathan rasps, keeping his head down. 

"W-what happened to you?" Will presses. 

"What happened?" Jonathan chuckles. He whips his head up and around to glare at Will. He is a gory, bloody mess, and large, fleshy chunks appear to be missing from all over his body. _ "You did!" _

Will bites back another scream as he stumbles backward and falls hard on his ass. "I-I'm sorry," he whimpers, scrambling back as quick as he can. 

"Sorry won't cut it!" Jonathan snarls, stalking towards him. "Sorry won't save Mom!" 

"What's wrong with Mom?" Will demands, his voice shaking as badly as the rest of him. 

Jonathan only gives him a bloodstained smirk. 

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH MOM?" 

Will doesn't wait for an answer. He scrambles to his feet and snatches up his bike, hopping on and heading for home as quickly as he can. 

Whatever else happens, he _ will _save his mom! He's determined. He isn't sure what the hell happened to Jonathan, but he won't leave his mom to the same fate. With a twinge of guilt, he realizes that Mike and Eleven are still out there somewhere, clueless to the chaos around them. 

_ I'll come back for you, _ he silently promises. _ I'll come back, and I'll save you and we'll be together again. I promise I won't let anything happen to you. I promise I'll save you. _

_ I promise. _


	4. Chapter Three: Realizations and Answers

"Where is he?" Dustin demands, turning this way and that and not seeing any sign of Billy. 

"I don't know," Max confesses with a huff. "But I know he was here!" 

"Are you sure you saw Billy?" Lucas questions. "It wasn't, like, Jonathan or somebody?"

"I know what my own brother looks like," Max snaps. "It hasn't been that long." 

"Oh shit, we are so fucking screwed," Dustin decides, both his hands going behind his head. Without even thinking about it, Lucas leans over and rests a reassuring hand on the small of his back. 

Lucas clears his throat, removing his hand. "We're not screwed," he says defiantly. 

"Are you sure?" Max asks, paling as she points a shaky finger towards the window. Lucas whirls around, following her line of sight to see Will peddling hard down the street outside, riding as if his life depends on it. 

He's alone. 

He'd promised to warn Mike and Eleven. Where are they? Why aren't they with him? 

Max is already bolting for the front door, and Lucas is right behind her. Dustin follows behind, and together the three race outside to meet Will just as he skids to a stop in the driveway. 

"What the hell happened?" Dustin asks him. 

"Where's El?" Max demands. 

"And Mike?" Lucas adds, giving Max a look to let her know he noticed her-- probably significant-- fixation. 

But Will only shakes his head. "Where's my mom?" he cries, tears streaming down his face. "Is she in there? Is she okay?" 

Lucas exchanges looks with Max and Dustin. 

"She has work today," Dustin reminds him. "She told us this morning that she won't get home until a little after dinnertime. Remember?" 

"J-Jonathan told me she was h-hurt!" he tells them. 

"Will," Max says, her voice soft. "Jonathan went back to Hawkins for the weekend. Remember? He went back to see Nancy." 

Will stares at her. "H-he did." 

"Yeah," Lucas confirms. "He's okay." 

"I-I saw him," Will insists. "I _ saw _him!" 

"The clown!" Dustin says with a snap. Lucas can tell by the tone of his voice that he's figured something out. 

"What about the clown?" Max questions. 

"When it opened its mouth, and I saw those weird lights in its throat--" 

"You saw _ what _?" Will interjects. 

"It made me see things," Dustin finished, ignoring Will for the moment. "What if that's it's power? What if it can make us see things that aren't there?" 

"Or maybe," Lucas adds, "maybe it can shapeshift." 

"Like a slaad," Max muses.

"Like the worst kind of death slaad," Will mumbles. 

"That explains why we couldn't find Billy," Max realizes. "He was never here; it was just the death slaad that made me think he was."

Will breathes out a sigh of relief. "Jonathan and my mom are really okay?" he asks, sounding like the weight of the world has just been lifted off his shoulders. 

Dustin nods. "Yeah, buddy. They're okay." 

Will collapses into Dustin's arms, his tears coming thick and fast while Dustin does what he can to comfort the boy. Lucas would almost feel jealous, watching as Dustin leads Will gently into the house, if it weren't for the pang of sorrow Lucas feels for him. It's been a strange and horrible day for everyone, but at least Lucas hasn't had to deal with the belief that his family is in danger. 

Well, sort of. 

The party is his family, and they're all in danger. But maybe after three consecutive years of dealing with the supernatural he's just used to it. Maybe he trusts that this branch of his family will come out of it okay. Maybe he knows that they're stronger than any evil that the multiverse can throw at them. 

A strangled sob sounds from Max, snapping Lucas out of his reverie. "Is everything okay?" he asks her. 

"What do you think?" she snaps at him. "Mrs. Byers moved them all out here because she thought she could keep them safe, but now we know it's all for nothing because there's a mystical, murderous clown on the loose and Mike is just _ missing _and so is the girl that I… that I admire, a-and trust, and I'm just so scared for them!" 

"I get it," Lucas sighs, moving to put his arm around the girl. 

"Yeah, right," Max scoffs. "How could you? Dustin is inside, safe and sound." 

_ "Dustin?" _Lucas repeats, astounded. "What does Dustin have to do with anything?" 

"Oh my god, Stalker, you really are oblivious sometimes," Max mumbles. "Maybe you'll understand it more when you're older." 

"Listen, I understand just fine what you're implying about me and Dustin," Lucas retorts, his heart pounding as he dances around having to confirm or deny Max's implications. "What I don't understand is what that has to do with you. Is it Mike? Is that why we broke up?" 

"No, gross," Max says, and then claps a hand to her mouth. 

Lucas stops. Max is serious, he can tell. Someone she loves is out there, in danger, and it's clearly not Mike. So then...that means-- 

"Eleven?" Lucas prods, his voice as gentle as he can possibly manage in his current state of shock. 

Max nods, roughly swiping at her eyes before the tears can fall. 

"I-I'm sure she's okay," Lucas tries. 

"We don't know that," Max mutters, turning and rushing inside. 

Lucas moves to follow her, to comfort her and tell her that everything will be okay, but a movement from the corner of his eye stops him. He turns to check that what he saw is really there. It is, and while it definitely adds some relief to the situation, it also makes his heart drop and gives Lucas the feeling that things are about to get a whole lot worse for their party. He sees Mike, a mirror image of how Will was just moments ago: the rapid peddling, the great gush of tears, and the solitude. Mike, the only one who was with Eleven this whole time, is riding up alone. 

Lucas has no idea how Max is going to react to this. 

  


* * * * * * *

  


Max is shaking from her most recent confession. She's known for a while now about her feelings towards Eleven, but she never thought she'd actually _ share _ them with anybody, least of all Lucas-- her _ ex-boyfriend. _To be fair, it does help that her ex is also in love with his best friend, which puts him in kind of the same boat as her. Also, holy shit when did life get so complicated? 

Max makes her way over to Will, who is sitting in his room trying to gather himself together. "How are you feeling?" she starts. 

"Well," Will muses, "I just raced here after believing that Jonathan was dying and that I had something to do with it because he told me my mom was in danger, too, and just before that I thought I was trapped back in the Upside Down. So… I'm doing pretty good for a Saturday." 

Max manages a smile. 

"Is everything okay with you?" Will asks. 

Max shakes her head. "No," she admits. "It's just… Did you see El-- or Mike-- at all when you went to look for them?" 

Will sighs. "No," he confesses. "But I'm sure they're okay--" 

The front door flies open, and a commotion comes from the living room, loud enough that it interrupts their conversation. 

"We better go see what's going on," Max prompts, heading for the bedroom door. Will nods, following close behind. 

"Slow down," Lucas is saying, turning to face Mike, who is standing in the middle of the room, looking like a crazy wreck. Max's heart sinks as she desperately searches the room for Eleven, finding that it's only Mike who's shown up.

"Yeah, try to calm down if you can and tell us what exactly you saw," Dustin adds. 

Mike whirls around, looking kind of scary, but stops when he sees Max and Will. The fight goes out of his eyes, as does the hurt and the pain, replaced only with deep confusion and relief. 

"Oh my god," he mutters, rushing over to throw himself at Will. 

Max is silent as the two embrace, and Mike is holding Will so close to him, and sobbing, and Will looks so confused and concerned (but also distinctly pleased) that nobody dares interrupt whatever is going on between them. 

"What happened to you, Mike?" Will asks softly, holding onto Mike just as tight. "What did you see?" 

"I saw _ you _," Mike sobs, burying his face in Will's neck. "I saw you, and you were dead, and I was so scared and I never want to be away from you again. I'm sorry for what I said about you not being as good for me as Eleven, and I'm sorry for what I told you about how we could never work. I was lying, and I'm done lying, and I never want to let you go, ever--" 

"This is really sweet and all," Max interjects, her fear causing a distinct rise in her fury, "but _ where the hell is Eleven?" _

Mike pulls back slightly from Will-- not much, just enough so he can see Max. "She isn't here?" he asks. 

"Oh my fucking-- I'm going to kill you," Max growls. "Why am I the only one concerned with El's safety? Did everyone forget? She doesn't have powers anymore! She can't protect herself anymore!" 

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Lucas tries. 

"If you tell me you're sure she's okay one more time, Lucas, I will march you over to that murderous clown myself," Max snaps, roughly swiping at the tears forming in her eyes. "We don't know where El is or that she's safe. In fact, we know she's not because there is a shapeshifting monster on the loose that she doesn't know about. I don't want any stupid reassurances, I want a plan and some action about how we're going to find her, and keep her safe! Now, does anybody know where the fuck Eleven might have gone?" 

The party goes silent for a beat, broken by the sound of Dustin clearing his throat. Max whirls around to face him, raising a brow to acknowledge him. Dustin takes a deep breath, looking way too nervous for Max's comfort. 

"I, uh, I think I know where she might be," he mumbles. "It's just… oh god, I hope I'm wrong." 

Max's heart instantly fills with dread.

  


* * * * * * *

  


Eleven is breathing hard by the time she makes it to the bathroom in Ax Man's Park. She only just manages to close the door, and the tears falling hot and heavy down her cheeks are making her vision blurry. She doesn't want Mike to know how difficult things are. She doesn't want him to know about the girls who trip her, or the boy who grabbed her by the hair and "jokingly" tried to kiss her, or the trio who always slams her into walls or lockers when they pass her in the halls. 

Ever since they met her, Eleven has always seemed like a superhero to Mike, and to Will, and to the party, and to Max. If they knew what was going on in Derry-- if they knew how powerless and useless she really was-- then she might lose the only friends she's ever had. She might really be alone, and she can't stand that. Derry has taken a lot from her so far, but it won't take away her friends. She won't let it. 

And so she focuses on breathing, on stemming the flow of sorrow that spills from her eyes. Today is one of those rare days she gets to spend with Max, and with Mike, and all the others. She'll be damned if her day is ruined by a few mouthbreathers who aren't even present. She'll get through this. She's stronger than they are. 

"And who was it exactly that made you so strong?" a voice sneers from the shadows. 

Eleven tenses up immediately. She knows that voice. Not just knows it; she _ loathes _it. Dr. Brenner emerges into sight with a chuckle, his gaze not leaving hers even for a second. 

"P-Papa," Eleven breathes, and she hates how shaky her voice is. It makes her sound like she's ten years old again.

Dr. Brenner smiles. "Hello Eleven. It's been quite some time. I'm glad to see you are doing well, though I can't say I fully appreciate the circumstances of our encounter." 

Eleven shakes her head. "You're not real," she insists, clenching her hands into fists. 

"Oh?" Dr. Brenner frowns. "Well go ahead and look around. Do you see Kali anywhere?" 

"No," Eleven starts. "But--" 

"No?" Dr. Brenner interrupts. "Well who else would conjure me?" 

Eleven stumbles backwards, reaching for the door but her body is trembling so bad, she can barely stay on her feet. "L-leave me alone!" She raises her hands, unable to hold them steady as she tries to will just an ounce of her powers back into existence, even if only for a moment. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" 

Dr. Brenner lets out a _ tsk tsk _ at her efforts. "You were a miracle," he reminds her. "A scientific breakthrough. You were going to change the world because of _ me _. Now look at you; look what you have become, and all because you didn't have me to guide you through your abilities. What a waste." 

Eleven drops her arms to her side, her chest heaving. "I don't need you," she spits. "I never did." 

"I think you actually believe that," Dr. Brenner admits, sounding amused. "And what about her?"

Eleven opens her mouth to tell him she has no idea who _ her _ is, but she's cut off by a bloodcurdling scream that just about stops her heart. She _ knows _that scream. She rounds on the man who once kept her locked in a lab, her fury heightened. 

"Do you need _ her _?" Dr. Brenner repeats. 

"What have you done to her?" Eleven demands, practically yelling to be heard over the sound of the screams. "What are you doing to Max?" 

"Go and see for yourself," Dr. Brenner urges. Eleven doesn't move, only eyes him with suspicion. "Well go on. Hurry, or she might be too far gone by the time you reach her." 

Eleven hates this man, and doesn't trust him enough to let him out of her sight. Her desire to keep Max safe quickly wins out over her distrust of Dr. Brenner though. She rushes out of the bathroom, but not before raising a hand to him with all her fingers curled against her palm, save for the one in the middle. It's a gesture Robin taught her before she left, one that supposedly lets someone know you deeply despise them. Eleven has never used it until now, but she hopes she did it right and she hopes her Papa finds it devastating. 

Max's screams fill her ears, taking up all the thoughts and concentration Eleven has to offer. The redhead is nowhere in sight and so, as frustrating as it is, Eleven has to rely on the sounds to take her where she needs to be. She rushes down the field of the park, she crosses the street, and she kneels down in front of one of the street's storm drains. Not once does it ever occur to her to question how she'd heard Max screaming from so many blocks away, or why her screams now sounded echoey like they were coming from the sewer when moments before it had sounded quite realistically like they were coming from somewhere just down the street. All that Eleven can think about is that Max is in danger, and she's the only one who can save her. She _ will _save her, no matter what. 

So without hesitation, Eleven drops to her stomach and squeezes herself down through the storm drain where-- unbeknownst to her-- an ancient evil waits specifically for her, knowing her deepest fears and darkest insecurities. It waits for her, in the center of Derry's sewage system, where It knows she will go in an attempt to save the girl she loves, and who is in no danger at all in reality. It watches for her, feeling her draw closer and closer with every step. It knows she is alone, and powerless for the first time in her life.

And It is very, very hungry. 


	5. Chapter Four: Quite the Finale

"I really don't know why you thought this was where we would find El," Lucas admits, keeping his arms raised high above him as he wades through the murky, foul-smelling water flooding through Derry's sewer system. 

"I told you, I _ saw _her," Dustin explains for what he's sure is the millionth time at least. 

"Could you maybe explain that part again?" Will asks, stumbling a little. Mike catches him, not letting go of his hand. He hasn't since they left the house. 

Dustin sighs, annoyance creeping into his voice. "When Max and I caught up to Lucas and stopped the clown--" 

"Pennywise," Lucas interrupts. He gives Dustin an apologetic shrug. "He told me his name is Pennywise." 

"Right," Dustin continues. "So when we confronted Pennywise, I saw these things in his throat, these swirling little lights. I couldn't move for as long as I was looking at them, and the whole time I saw them, I… I saw El. She was in the sewers, and she, uh, didn't look good; she looked dead_ . _Or, y'know, sick or something." He adds in that last part for Max's sake, who looks like she might either throw up or throw hands, depending on what they really find out about Eleven's fate. 

"How do you know your vision is real though?" Mike questions, swirling his thumb over the back of Will's hand. "I mean, Pennywise made all of us see things that weren't there. He made Will think he was back in the Upside Down." 

"True," Dustin allows. He goes quiet for a second, thinking of how to explain what he'd felt getting caught in those lights. They were weird though, because light usually signified life, and goodness. These were more like… like _ dead _lights. He clears his throat. "I guess I just know, and you guys just have to trust me." 

"Why should we?" Max snaps. 

"Hey," Lucas warns. 

"No," she growls. "Dustin just admitted he has no idea if this is where Eleven really is. What if we get down here and find out we're right, and that your 'vision' really is just another trick of the death slaad's. I told you we should have gone to the park first, to see if she's still there." 

"And _ I _ told _ you _: I trust Dustin's instincts," Lucas retorts. 

"You're really willing to bet Eleven's life on that?" Max challenges him. "Because I'm not. I still think we should split up." 

"No!" Mike and Will exclaim in unison. They look at each other and blush. 

Max rolls her eyes at them. "Whatever," she grumbles, and she pushes ahead to trudge further into the dark. "You better be right about this, Henderson." 

The party continues on in silence for a moment. Dustin doesn't know whether to hope his vision is real or just a trick. He can't get over how Eleven looked, so pale and still and-- 

"Hey," Lucas murmurs, bumping shoulders with him. "Are you okay?" 

Dustin shakes his head. "I'm sorta freaking out a bit," he admits. 

"Don't worry about Max," Lucas tells him. "She's just worried about Eleven." 

"So am I," Dustin says, sounding much more defensive than he means to. 

"I know, we all are," Lucas amends. "I just meant… Max is worried for her in a different way." 

Dustin stops, staring at the boy. "What the hell does that mean?" 

"Shh!" Lucas scolds him, daring to peek up ahead to where Max stomps towards the finish line. It's clear she hasn't heard them. 

"What the hell does that mean?" Dustin repeats in a whisper. 

"It means Eleven's the reason Max broke up with me," Lucas confesses, his voice just as quiet. 

"What, you mean Max _ likes _Eleven?" Dustin asks. "Like, the way Mike does?" 

"You mean the way Mike _ did _ ," Lucas corrects him. "Pretty sure he's into Will now. And, yeah. She likes her like _ that _." 

"She told you?" Dustin presses. 

Lucas nods. "Yeah. It was obvious though, too, even before she told me," he clarifies. "I could just tell. The way she talked about El, how sad she got after El left, the look on her face when we saw her again. Things like that just sort of tipped me off." 

"Well, I think it's bullshit that Max dumped you for her," Dustin tells him firmly. "Especially since none of us know if Eleven's even interested in girls. Given how attached she is to Mike, I would have guessed she's not." 

Lucas frowns. "It's possible for someone to like boys and girls in the same way." 

"Right," Dustin nods. "I sorta forgot about that." Which, much to Dustin's disappointment (and anxiety), only deepens the frown on Lucas' face. He worries that if he keeps talking he'll only dig himself into a deeper hole, but he also feels like this is a terrible time to drop the conversation. He goes to add something more, but he's cut off by Max's scream. "Son of a bitch!" 

He follows closely on Lucas' heels, not willing to lose anyone to the world's actual creepiest clown. He skids to a stop when Lucas does, just barely avoiding crashing into him, which admittedly wouldn't exactly be the worst thing in the world for him. If they went down, it would be Lucas on the ground and Dustin overtop of him, and Lucas is a pretty soft landing. He just has the sort of body that Dustin can fit right on top of. _Not _that Dustin is thinking about Lucas' body at a time like this. He's obviously looking for Max, to see that she's okay. And she is, he can clearly see as he looks her over, although her own gaze is locked firmly on something above them and she does look as if she might be having a heart attack. Dustin follows her line of sight, and he hears Lucas gasp barely a second before he can focus and figure out what he's looking at. 

"Holy shit!" Dustin mutters, his stomach dropping. 

They've managed to find Eleven, but he doesn't know anymore if that's a good or a bad thing. All he knows is that-- for better or worse-- his vision was correct.

  


* * * * * * *

  


Max would have fallen from how badly she's shaking if Lucas hadn't caught her before she could hit the sewer floor. "What the fuck is wrong with her?" she whimpers into his chest, her voice coming out barely above a whisper. When no one answers her, she clears her throat and tries again, her voice much louder and better at showcasing her anger. "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH HER?" 

Eleven is hovering above them, the bottoms of her shoes a good foot and a half over Max's head. The girl is suspended in the air somehow, her head lolled to the side, and her normally gorgeous brown eyes are glossed over with a lifeless milky film. She might be dead, or stuck in an even worse kind of limbo. 

"Wh-what do we do?" Will asks, gasping through his tears like he's fighting off a panic attack. Mike tries to speak, but all that comes out is a strangled sort of squeak. He looks devastated as he turns a helpless look to Dustin, and he pulls a sobbing Will against his chest. 

"I don't know," Dustin sighs, tears of his own threatening to spill down his face. "My vision didn't show me how to save her, only how to find out where she was." 

"How the fuck is she in the air?" Mike finally speaks, his voice shaking with the force of his obvious panic.

Max rounds on him, glaring at him and Will. "I need you both to pull it together," she growls at the two through gritted teeth. "You're both very smart, and you both know Eleven better than any of us and I need you two to _ think. _There has to be something we can do to save her!" 

Mike sniffs, trying to stem the flow of his tears. "I-I don't know what to do," he admits. 

"I need you to do better than that," Max commands, shaking her head at the boy. 

"I don't know what the fuck to do!" Mike says again. "I'm sorry, but I don't! You think I want her to be stuck like this? I don't! But I also have no fucking clue what I can do to save her!" 

"Sleeping Beauty," Dustin suddenly says. 

"The fuck did you call her?" Max demands, whirling on him. 

"I didn't call her anything," Dustin snaps. "I'm talking about the story. When the princess falls under a powerful sleeping spell, the fairies try everything they can to wake her up. In the end the only thing that works is--" 

"True love's kiss," Lucas finishes, giving Max a pointed look. 

Max rolls her eyes at them. "You're a fucking idiot." 

"Do you have a better idea?" Dustin challenges. 

"No," Max sighs. She feels her heart break in two as she turns back to Mike. "She loves you," she tells him. "If anyone can wake her up, I think it will be you." 

Mike starts to protest, but Will silences him with a kiss on his cheek. "If it might wake her up, then you have to try," Will tells him gently. 

Mike nods his consent. "Okay," he says. "Let's try to pull her down." 

Lucas wraps his arms around Max's waist, carefully lifting her up until she's high enough to get her hands around Eleven's ankles. She expects it to be strenuous, getting her down, but the girl is light as a feather as Max tugs her back to the earth. As soon as Eleven's feet touch the ground though, the girl lists forward so quickly that Max worries she's going to smack her head on the floor. In a flash, Max is holding her in her arms, steadying the girl on her unstable feet. 

Mike approaches cautiously. He gives Max a look she can't discern before slowly leaning in and brushing his lips against Eleven's, soft and gentle. _A lover's_ _embrace, _Max thinks with a hint of disgust and undeniable longing. Mike pulls away, looking over at Will to give him an apologetic look. 

Eleven doesn't move. 

"Try again," Max tells him, fighting back all her jealousy and frustration and fear. 

"It didn't work," Mike responds stiffly. 

"Yeah, no shit it didn't work, that's why you have to try again!" Max snarls. 

"I'm not going to be able to wake her up because I'm not in love with her!" Mike argues. "I-I'm sorry, but I'm not. I love her, but I'm not _ in _love with her--" 

"It's not about _ your _ love," Max retorts. "It's if she loves you, and she does, so you better start sucking face or so help me _ god _\--" 

"What if she doesn't?" Lucas interrupts. "What if Mike wasn't the only one keeping his real feelings secret?" 

Max glares at Lucas, and her scowl only deepens when Dustin suddenly avoids eye contact with everyone, a guilty expression on his face. 

"Did you tell him?" she questions, trying to keep her voice steady even as every fiber of her being is exploding with rage and telling her to kill Lucas. 

"That doesn't matter," Lucas says. 

"Oh yes it does!" Max yells. 

"Eleven was really fond of you," Will cuts in desperately, looking Max in the eyes with a pleading expression. "She talked about you all the time." 

"More than Mike?" Max scoffs, sure she's got him. 

But Will gives Mike an apologetic look, and then-- after a moment-- he nods. 

Max is dumbfounded. For the first time in her life, her heart is beating 100 miles a minute out of more than just fear. _ Is it really possible? Could Eleven really love her? _

"Max," Mike begs. "Please just try." 

Max takes a deep breath. Her hand is shaking as she raises it to Eleven's cheek, preparing herself for what's about to happen. El's skin is as soft as it looks, and warm despite the cold, lifeless look to her. Max finds relief in that; if she's still so warm then surely she can't be dying. She sucks in a breath, wondering if she should hold it, if she even can. 

_ Quit being so dramatic, _Max silently scolds herself. 

With a sudden surge of courage, she smashes her lips to Eleven's, and every hair on her arms and neck is raised with the shockwave that travels down her spine. She's so lost in the fireworks that she almost misses how the soft, warm lips are returning the pressure, moving against her own. But she could never miss the touch of El's hands as she brings them up, one in Max's hair and the other placed tenderly over her cheek. Max pulls back, her heart thumping wildly in ecstasy. A pair of dazzlingly clear doe brown eyes look back at her, and a bashful grin is etched underneath them. 

"Max," Eleven breathes, like that word alone could have broken her spell. 

"You're okay?" Max asks. Eleven nods. "Good, I-I'm glad. I'm also sorry for, y'know, for kissing you." 

"It was nice," Eleven promises, not looking away. 

"Yeah," Max grins, "it was." 

Eleven returns the grin, and Max just about melts. She can stay here forever, never looking at anything other than Eleven, the girl she loves, the girl who maybe loves her, too. 

Lucas clears his throat. "Can we get out of the sewers now?" 

Eleven looks startled, glancing around like she's just realizing everyone else is there. Her sight lands on Mike, and she looks incredibly guilty. "Mike, I--" 

"It's okay," her interrupts. He holds his hand up to show her that his and Will's are closely intertwined. "I understand." 

Eleven smiles, and she leans her head on Max's shoulder. "I can't believe you guys came to save me," she murmurs. 

"Of course we did," Max tells her, feeling heartbroken that Eleven would have thought for even a second that the party would leave her to her fate. "Why wouldn't we?" 

Eleven looks away, burying her face in Max's neck. "I guess I thought, without my powers, I can't...How am I supposed to be your mage?" 

"Oh my _ god, _not everything is about D&D!" Max huffs, wrapping her arms around the girl. "Despite the way the boys act."

"I cared about you even before I knew you had powers," Mike reminds her, coming over to enter the embrace. 

"And anyway, none of us ever had any powers," Dustin points out, placing a gentle hand on her back. "This isn't Xavier's School for the Gifted. We accept non-mutants into the party." 

Will throws his arms around Eleven, even though he's also sort of elbowing Max in the ribs and probably shoving his shoulder against Mike to do it. "You really think I'd leave my sister to rot in the sewers? I told you: we're a team, and we're survivors. We have to stick together." 

Lucas finally joins in, wrapping his arms over Dustin to reach Eleven, and the others sort of scrunch together, forming an awkward yet comfortable group hug, with Eleven at the center.

"So, sewers," Dustin coughs after a moment, when the party eventually pulls away. "We're leaving now? Right?" 

"WRRRRRONG!" a voice booms, echoing out from everywhere and nowhere, filling the room. "No, little children, none of you are going _ anywhere. _"

Max shivers and grasps Eleven's hand, watching in wordless terror as Pennywise crawls down the wall, coming towards them with a fiery fury in his eyes. "Oh my, this will be _ quite _ the finale," he giggles, letting go of the wall to land before them with a condemning _ thud. _

He eyes them each in turn, a sick grin on his bloody lips. Eleven trembles as his gaze lands on her. Max squeezes her hand, hoping it feels reassuring to the girl. Pennywise's teeth turn jagged and sharp right before their eyes. 

"You're all _ mine. _" 

  


* * * * * * * 

  


Mike can't tell if the shaking is coming from him or Will, though he suspects it might be both. He can see that the slaad is currently shaped like the clown, but that doesn't stop his mind from conjuring up the image of Will's body, bloody and mutilated in the bathroom. He has to take several breaths to calm himself down to remind himself that _ that wasn't real, it wasn't real, it wasn't real! _

Suddenly Dr. Brenner is standing before them, and he swings an impossibly large arm at Eleven. Max is there to tug her to safety, but that doesn't stop the slaad from lunging once more. 

"Get away from them!" Mike screams, snatching up a loose metal pipe and swinging it with all his might as he rushes the creature. 

He cracks it over the thing's back, making It whip its head around to glare at him. It melts down, blood gushing from its chest as its face morphs into Will's. "Mike," It whimpers, "please help me!" 

Dustin tackles the thing, rolling through the disgusting sewer water and kicking It away. Will-- the real Will-- is by Mike's side in an instant. 

"It's not real," the boy reminds him. 

"Not real?" the death slaad roars, struggling to its feet and rising up and up, towering over them all with gangly limbs and a shadowy frame. The Mind Flayer suddenly looms over them all. "Issss thissss real enough?" It hisses. 

Will is frozen as It slams itself down on them. Mike screams, grabbing Will and lifting him off his feet as he leaps out of the way. As It hits the sewer floor, the thing disintegrates into shadows. 

Max grips a baseball bat, keeping a protective arm around Eleven while Lucas helps Dustin to his feet. The shadows move, swirling together to grow more solid. They stand up, fleshy and familiar as they aim a taunting sneer straight at Max. 

"I always knew you were a disappointment," Billy tells her. "I mean, I thought Sinclair was bad enough, but _ her? _Besides being a bitch, she's just some female fucking lab rat--" 

Max let's out an enraged roar, launching herself at her brother. But the slaad is ready for her. It uses Billy's hand to snatch her out of the air, squeezing her throat closed. 

"No!" Eleven screams as the thing unhinges its jaw, several rows of teeth gleaming from interior lights that reflect in Max's eyes. "NOOOOO!" 

Several items suddenly fly across the room at the pair as Eleven grabs anything within reach to send sailing towards the death slaad. Max drops in a heap to the floor after Eleven brings a hard blow to the side of Billy's face in the form of a flying porcelain doll.

"You think some lab experiment can defeat me?" Pennywise demands, seething as his orange eyes gleam with hatred. Mike shivers as the clown disappears into the shadows. 

Max struggles to her feet and takes a tentative step closer to Eleven. 

"Where'd he go?" Mike asks, trembling from head to toe. "I can't see him!" 

"I'm pretty sure that's the point," Dustin says. 

Suddenly Dart launches himself at Lucas, knocking the boy to the floor. 

"Lucas!" Dustin screams, scrabbling for a weapon. 

Eleven raises a hand, dangling a toy bike from her fingers, and judging by the intensely murderous look on her face Mike knows the death slaad's minutes are numbered. The creature whips its head around to look at her, opening its mouth as though letting out a screech. No noise comes from the beast that Mike can hear, but Eleven suddenly doubles over, her hands pressed tight to cover her ears. 

"Look out!" Mike yells, but his voice must be lost in the inaudible caterwauling of the death slaad. It rises up, growing bigger to be a full fledged demogorgon. Eleven's eyes are scrunched shut, and she begins to scream in pain as she drops to her knees. The demogorgon keeps its mouth opened wide as it dashes towards Eleven. "El, move!" 

Mike throws himself at the demogorgon, wrapping himself around its legs to trip It up. Max leaps onto its back, and Lucas starts pelting It with rocks launched from his slingshot. The demogorgon lashes out, swinging its face so that one of the rocks goes sailing back at Lucas. It nails the side of his head, knocking him to the ground. 

"Go back to hell, you sick son of a bitch!" Dustin cries, and he thrusts a jagged piece of metal into the back of the demogorgon's leg. The creature shrieks audibly, dropping down low enough that Dustin can rip out the makeshift blade and jam it into the demogorgon's throat, silencing It temporarily. 

The thing starts thrashing around, sending Mike and Max sailing. Will tries to catch Mike, but his momentum makes them both crash to the floor in a tangled heap. 

"Ow!" Will gasps, partially underneath Mike. 

"Sorry," Mike breathes, struggling to stand up. "Are you okay?" 

"I think so," Will pants, accepting Mike's hand to help haul him up on his feet. 

"Lucas?" they hear Dustin call. "Are you alright? Can you hear me? Lucas!" 

Mike looks over to see Lucas still crumpled on the floor. Dustin has him gathered in his arms, pressing a sleeve to stem the flow of blood on the side of the boy's head. So far, Lucas doesn't seem to be responding. 

"Max!" Eleven screams, and Mike looks over in time to see Pennywise the clown-- now roughly as tall as a two-story house-- lift the zoomer up into the air by her ankle. A second arm snakes through the air to snatch up Dustin, a third following shortly behind to grab Lucas. 

"Run," Mike gasps, shoving at Will as hard as he can to make the boy move. "Run!" 

Arms four and five tear from the clown's body, smacking Will to the ground and tripping Mike up respectively. He just barely sees as the thing lift Will up before a vise-like grip wraps around his own ankle, hoisting him into the air. 

"El!" he yelps, not sure what he's even asking her to do. "El!" 

"Poor, lost little girl," Pennywise giggles, staring Eleven down as he dangles the other party members far above her head. "No one to save your friends now. Oh, did you really believe them when they said you were still the same with or without your powers?" 

Eleven hangs her head, looking so terrified and ashamed that Mike wishes he could be there to give her a hug. 

"Don't listen to him!" Max calls defiantly. "Eleven, don't--" 

A new hand rips out of the slaad's body, instantly slapping itself over Max's mouth to silence her. 

"What are you to them?" Pennywise taunts. "What are you really in the lives of your precious friends." 

Eleven's head snaps up, and she returns the death slaad's vicious glare. "I am their mage," she declares, bringing her hands up. 

The air turns cold and heavy, and there's a weight all throughout Mike's body that he's only felt one other time in his life: the time he jumped off a cliff, only to hang suspended in midair thanks to Eleven's telepathic embrace. 

The death slaad is sent sailing backwards as Mike and the rest of the party are gently lowered to the ground. Blood is gushing from Eleven's nose, but she doesn't seem to notice as she chooses to rush into Max's arms. Dustin half holds, half carries Lucas away from the center of the sewers, heading them towards the tunnel that marks their way out. Will comes to stand beside Mike, taking his hand in his own. 

"Now," Mike whispers to him, "while it's dazed. We have to kill it." 

Will nods, leaning down to lift up Max's discarded baseball bat and an iron pike-- possibly once part of a fence-- to use as weapons. He hands the bat to Mike, who grips it like his life depends on it. He sees Eleven watching him out of the corner of his eye, and he's grateful to see her nudge Max who glances quickly over at the boys before snatching up a broken skateboard. 

The four advance on the slaad, lunging at It with everything in them as they try desperately to get rid of this evil forever. Mike notices Dustin slamming down a toy vacuum against It's back, and he's not sure when the boy managed to tear himself away from Lucas' side but he's glad he's here. 

The death slaad lets out a roar, and an invisible angry force sends the kids tumbling backwards, but not before Will jams the iron pike into It's eye. It shrieks in pain, and scrambles away from them, heading for the well that seems to have only just now appeared. 

"Kill it!" Dustin yells. "Don't let it get away!" 

But It grins at them, even as it begins to flake into nothing before their eyes It grins, and it lets go of the cement walls to fall far below what Mike can see. And with that, It's gone. It's finally over. 

"Well," Mike pants, "he was right about one thing: that was quite the fucking finale."

  


* * * * * * *

  


It is not over, not by a longshot. 

Far below Derry, far below the earth, It waits, It watches, It hungers. Perhaps these Hawkins children are a bit more than It can chew at the moment. 

But eventually they will leave, and Pennywise will feed once more. These children may have bested him for today, but he has plenty more feeding to do before his long rest. His year of feasting is not over, not by a longshot. Maybe after-- when he wakes up again, and the children are no longer children-- maybe then he will feed upon their flesh. But for now he will enjoy other tasty morsels. 

He still has most of the year left, and he will savor every bite. He remembers a little boy, one who often plays near the storm drains and wears a bright yellow raincoat on drizzly days. Perhaps he will prove to be a much easier target. And then there's that little girl with the ballet shoes. And the boy with the teddy bear. The teen so attached to his lighter. The police officer's son. Yes, there are plenty of other options for him this year. So It resolves to wait. And to watch. 

And deep down in the dark of Derry, It smiles a grotesque grin worthy of a clown.


	6. Epilogue

"Merry Christmas!" Will exclaims, wrapping his arms around an ugly sweater-clad Mike, who allows a soft grin in return. 

"Happy holidays, Will," he says passionately, before letting his lips show his passion. 

Will instantly returns the embrace, even turns his head to the side so he can deepen it, slipping his tongue between Mike's teeth to glide over his tongue in a way that he  _ knows  _ gets him worked up and it's so  _ not fair  _ because now Mike has to be the adult here and pull back before things get too heated. 

"Your mom and Jonathan are in the other room," Mike reminds him in a hushed voice. 

Will smirks at him. "You've fought a demogorgon, a mind flayer, and a freaking death slaad, but  _ my mom  _ still manages to scare you?" he teases. 

Mike rolls his eyes at his boyfriend. "Crazy, I know, but after how Hopper flipped out about me and El? I guess I just don't want to risk another parent coming between me and the person I want to spend time with." 

Will allows a real smile to break through his faux macho appearance. "I suppose that's fair." 

"Oh?" Mike grins, smashing their lips together again. "It fucking better be." 

Will sighs as they kiss, and Mike knows it's in content. Things are finally getting to a place that one might call normal, if other kids in the area would ever let two boys dating be considered normal. 

Whatever, things are  _ good.  _ Mike is  _ happy.  _ Things are pretty damn near perfect. And that's awesome. 

  
  


* * * * * * *

  
  


"Keep them closed," Dustin instructs, leading a blindfolded Lucas down a still-decorated hall. Lucas swears as he trips over the cord for some Christmas lights.

"You still have your decorations up?" he complains. "It's almost February!" 

"Yeah, well, maybe the holiday is worth celebrating for longer than a day," Dustin retorts with a grin, and even though Lucas can't see him, he just  _ knows  _ the boy has a very smug expression on his face right now. "Just keep your eyes closed." 

"What's the point of the blindfold if you wanted me to close my eyes anyway?" Lucas grumbles in mock grumpiness. 

"Because," Dustin says, "I trust you but I don't." 

"You're weird," Lucas scoffs affectionately. 

"And you're very handsome," Dustin returns, guiding the boy to a chair. "Now sit." 

Lucas sits. 

"Take off your blindfold." 

Lucas takes off his blindfold. 

"Ta-daa!" Dustin announces. 

Lucas frowns. "What am I looking at?" he asks, taking in the fireplace-- that's always been there-- and the Christmas decorations on the mantle-- which he's pretty sure will stay there until about June. 

"Look up," Dustin suggests. 

Lucas shrugs, figuring he's made it this far and so he may as well humor the boy to the end, and does as he's told. He takes in the dark green leaves, the blood red berries, the pristine white ribbon tying it to the beams. "Is that  _ mistletoe-- _ " 

He doesn't get an answer, because Dustin is busy brushing his lips gently against Lucas'. Lucas remembers the Snowball, dancing with Max when she suddenly darted forward to steal a kiss. It was nice-- really nice-- but he has to admit it has nothing on the feel of Dustin's surprise embrace. Maybe it's that Max was always meant for someone else, or that Lucas was always meant for Dustin. Maybe it's that Lucas and Dustin have a history, the kind that Max could never hold a candle to. Or maybe it's just that Dustin is a better kisser, a better fit for Lucas Sinclair. 

Whatever it is, it has Lucas returning the embrace, grateful for it, wishing it would never end. 

  
  


* * * * * * *

  
  


Max sinks onto her mattress, feeling an otherworldly weight upon her shoulders. She  _ misses  _ her girlfriend, and she misses her something fierce. She wants to hold her, and kiss her, and maybe someday even show her just how good happy screams are. But that will come later-- much later, if ever. Well, hopefully it will come at some point. Right?  _ Oh god,  _ Max inwardly groans,  _ does Eleven even know what sex is?  _ And then an even more terrifying thought strikes the girl:  _ Will I have to be the one to tell her about it?  _

Max shudders at the thought, grateful that they're young enough that she doesn't have to worry about it for now. In all honesty, Max simply wants to see her, or even just feel her presence. Her innocent ignorance, her intense determination, her fierce love and loyalty… 

Max's breath hitches in her throat as-- as if on command-- she feels a familiar sensation of being watched over and loved. Max leans into the space where she knows Eleven is reaching out for her, using her telepathic abilities to come visit her all the way from Derry, Maine. 

"Hi Eleven," Max smiles at the air. 

She can't see her, but she can feel her there. She knows she's with her. She knows she loves her. Max can't wait to see her again. 

There's no response from her girlfriend, of course. Eleven can see her, but she can't talk or make herself visible or anything. Which is too bad, but living so far apart Max will take what she can get. 

"I almost feel like I should start calling  _ you  _ Stalker now," she jokes, smiling so that Eleven knows she's joking. Max hopes she knows she's joking. Her gaze suddenly turns solemn as the weight of Eleven's absence hits her full force. "I miss you," she confesses, her voice cracking as her tears leak down her cheeks. 

Max swears she can feel El's hand brush gently against her face.

* * * * * * * 

  
  


Eleven fights back tears of her own as Max dissolves under her touch, reminding her of the distance that separates them. Next time they're together, she'll be able to place a hand against Max's cheek for real.

Next time. 

Eleven wipes blood off her nose and she takes off her blindfold, hugs it to her chest. There were never any soap operas on the television that told a story quite like theirs: a telekinetic and a ferocious redhead; a lab experiment and an abused runaway; a mage and a zoomer. Her TV shows never so much as explored a romance between two girls. But that hardly mattered. One was an illusion, the other reality. One was past, the other her future. One was hate, and the other was  _ Max.  _

She sighs, thinking of the girl that makes her heart ache so much. 

"Hey," Will calls, knocking softly against the open door to Eleven's bedroom. He frowns as he notices her tears. "What's wrong?" 

"Max," Eleven admits. "I miss her." 

Will nods, understanding written clearly on his face. He takes a breath, and then says, "Do you want to call her?" 

Eleven can tell by his smile that her face lights up at the offer. "I thought it was your day for the phone?" she questions. 

"Call it a thank you for getting those bullies off my back," he tells her. Eleven smiles, remembering the way those boys folded so neatly when they "slipped" and fell into the trash cans at school, and how wide Will's grin was as he'd looked over at her with such gratitude as she was wiping the blood from her nose. Max would have loved it, even more than she loved seeing Stacey's drink explode in her hands at the Starcourt Mall. Eleven tries to dry her eyes, thoughts of her girlfriend quickly taking over the forefront of her brain. "Besides, I think you need it more than I do today." 

Eleven nods, and she hugs him fiercely before dashing down the hall to dial Max's number. As she waits for the girl to pick up, she hears Jonathan say to Will, "C'mon, let me show you the benefits of using a payphone." She smiles to herself. 

Derry is maybe-- just maybe-- starting to feel a little like home. 

  
  


* * * * * * * 

  
  


"I am the _best _at guarding the treasure and hunting dragons!" Lucas gloats, making Max roll her eyes at him. Dustin, Lucas, and Max are back at the Palace Arcade, and Lucas is-- much to Dustin's pleasure-- absolutely _slaying _Max in their _Dragon's_ _Lair_ tournament.

"Yeah, you sure are," Dustin agrees, leaning his head against Lucas' shoulder, and enjoying that familiar warm feeling spread throughout his body that he feels whenever he and Lucas touch. Lucas suddenly twists his head to the side to plant a kiss on Dustin's cheek, and both boys blush a beet red as Dustin gives Lucas a small smile in return. 

"You guys are gonna make me barf," Max complains, adding in a fake gag. 

"Shut up!" Dustin retorts at the same time that Lucas says, "You and El are way  _ way  _ worse." 

"Definitely," Dustin agrees, nodding at Lucas. "Last time we went to Derry I walked in on them, and I swear I got worried for a second because I thought Max was like, possessed or something. It looked like she was trying to eat Eleven's face, and she had her all forced up against the wall--" 

"THANK YOU DUSTIN, THAT'S ENOUGH!" Max cuts in with a glare. Now it's her turn to blush. "I have to go home, in case El, uh, I mean in case my mom needs help with dinner or something. Uh, I'll see you losers tomorrow." 

"Well, well, well," Dustin says, watching her dash away. "Seems we've defeated yet another dragon today." 

"Shut up," Lucas grins, bumping shoulders with the boy. 

"Did you see how bright her face got though?" Dustin chortles gleefully. 

"Redder than her hair," Lucas nods. 

"Priceless!" Dustin proclaims. 

"Not as priceless as you," Lucas tells him, and Dustin finds that he doesn't care at all how cheesy it sounds. He pulls Lucas close, connecting their lips together. 

_ Sometimes _ , Dustin thinks,  _ cheesy is good. _

  
  


* * * * * * * 

  
  


Will tiptoes as quietly down the hall as humanly possible. His heart nearly explodes with anxiety when he steps on that one specific floorboard that lets out a loud  _ creeeaaaak  _ that, in the silence of the night, sounds like a wild animal is being tortured and murdered to death. He goes still, waiting for someone to come out and see him out of bed and ask him what the hell he's doing. 

Normally he wouldn't be up this late on a school night, but this is important. He and Mike are going to watch Haley's Comet together. Sort of together. He's going to be on the phone with Mike while they watch it from their respective living rooms. It's not the best plan, but it works for Will, and it beats sleeping. 

He dares another step, passing in front of his sister's room. He freezes when he hears strange sounds coming from the other side of the door. He hesitates, not wanting to walk in on anything that might scar him for life, but he also thinks the noises sound like  _ distress,  _ not… uh, anything more embarrassing. He takes a breath and pushes the door open, praying to gods he doesn't believe in that she's not doing anything other than sleeping. 

He gets his wish, though not in the way he would have wanted. Eleven is thrashing around in her bed, eyes closed, sweat dripping down her body. She's breathing hard, and trembling, and every few seconds a soft,  _ "no!"  _ passes through her lips. 

Will is by her side in an instant, shaking her awake. "El! El!" She bolts up, clearly just managing to suppress a scream. "Are you okay?" Will asks, whispering in the dark. 

Eleven nods. "Just a dream," she assures him. Will gives her a look. "A bad dream," she allows. 

"What happened?" he presses. 

El shakes her head. "We all died," she murmurs softly, her voice thick. "I-It came back, and It killed us. We were older though, much older. Still, it felt so  _ real.  _ It was scary, and I--"

Will hugs her, letting her know that she's safe now. Eventually she settles down, and she lays back against her mattress. Without a word, Will tucks her in, like she's a little girl and he's her big, protective brother. 

"It wasn't real," he promises. 

"Just a dream," Eleven says again with a nod. She gives Will a sudden smirk. "Tell Mike I say, 'hi.'" 

Will blushes at the abrupt subject change. He stands to make his way into the living room. "Will do," he says, and he leaves to go watch the comet. 

He feels a heaviness cling to him as he walks through the dark house, like a weight of fear that he can't seem to shake. He knows Mike is safe, Eleven herself said it was only a dream. Never mind the fact that in her dream they were all grown. It is dead, and there's nothing left for him and Eleven to worry about. 

Right?


End file.
